“It is always great to have our student-athletes get postseason awards,” said NWC head coach Janis Beal. “It shows that others in the region take notice of [the] positive impact these players have had on our team.”

McManamen, from Torrington, was awarded the Region IX All-Defensive Team honor which, “is a no-brainer for anyone who watched us play this year,” said Beal. She added that McManamen was often given the task of defending the opposing team’s leading scorer or rebounder.

“Defense and rebounding aren’t the stats that people talk about the most, but she was always willing to do whatever was needed for our team,” Beal said.

McManamen finished the season with a team-leading 201 rebounds: 119 on defense and 82 offensive. She also led the team in field goal shooting, sinking 54.8 percent of her attempts, and she scored in 31 of the 32 games played throughout the season.

Silva, from Belem, Brazil, finished the season shooting 47.8 percent from the field and had 129 rebounds — 104 defensive and 25 offensive. The center also also had 20 assists.

As a team, the Lady Trappers concluded the season averaging 68.8 points per game, had an average of 39.3 rebounds per game and 11.7 assists per game and shot 41 percent from the field, 30.6 percent at the arc and 69.4 percent at the free throw line.

After an upset win in overtime against Casper College during the Region IX Tournament play-in game, Northwest College advanced to Region IX Tournament as the No. 4 seed from the north. The team almost pulled off another upset in the first round of the tournament, pushing Western Nebraska Community College — the No. 1 seed from the south and the eventual tournament champion — to overtime before falling 74-70.

“You don’t get someone named to the All-Tournament team unless your team as a whole plays well at the Region IX tournament and [Silva] was a big part of that,” Beal said of Silva’s honors. “It was great to see her being aggressive not just in scoring but with getting rebounds against one of the best teams in our region.”

The coach added that it was exciting to have two freshmen — who are returning next season — pick up postseason awards.

“Hopefully as a team we can take the positive from how we finished the season and continue to build from there for next year,” Beal said.